Who are we?
Our Story
Born in mainland China and shaped by North American education, Give to Nature’s co-founders Yunzhu and Jingwei embody cross-cultural bridge-building. Their lived experience proves that even across divides, authentic dialogue can transform conflict into collaboration.
Working together at Global Environmental Institute (GEI), they learned the art of impossible – bringing opposing stakeholders to the table and facilitating breakthrough dialogues of the environment where others saw only deadlock.
This experience became the DNA of their approach: creating uncommon alliances that transform environmental challenges into collaborative solutions.
OUR EXPERTISE
We serve as strategic bridge-builders, empowering communities through:
Multi-Stakeholder Orchestration: Facilitating uncommon alliances between local communities, governments, businesses, and investors
Cultural & Policy Fluency: Leveraging deep understanding of local contexts to create implementable solutions
Resource Mobilization: Unlocking and aligning diverse funding streams with community priorities
Innovation for Impact: Designing tailored interventions that turn challenges into sustainable opportunities
OUR TEAM
YUNZHU CHEN
Co-founder
Graduated with a Master Degree from University of Toronto, Yunzhu used to work as a field biologist with Canadian NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ontario Nature, and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. She joined the Global Environmental Institute (GEI) in 2016 and has been working in the China and Southeast Asia community conservation program since. In 2025, she left GEI and co-founded Give to Nature in Singapore. Now she is the Director of Give to Nature and responsible for the Sustainable Community Program.
JINGWEI ZHANG
Co-founder
Jingwei received a master’s degree in city planning from Boston University and joined the Global Environmental Institute afterwards in 2016. Since joining the team, Jingwei has researched extensively the impacts of China’s overseas investments and trade, as well as promoted initiatives to counter wildlife trafficking. In 2025, Jingwei left GEI and co-founded Give to Nature. She is now the Director and is running the Green Value Chain Program.
Talk to us
Have any questions? We are always open to talk about our experience, new projects, creative opportunities and how we can collaborate.